Hongyi did not intend to argue for John Tong, who was a Jesuit, about the merits of the so-called "Catholic Religion" and "Orthodox Christianity", but only seized the opportunity to once again expound his view that "the division and integration of religions is also a historical necessity", so as to pave the way for the upcoming "ritual dispute". That being the case, it is logical to ask what was the military power of Tsarist Russia in the middle of the seventeenth century.

"Master is wise! This aspect is also one of the reasons why Lao Chen firmly believes that our Qing Dynasty will win! ”

Nowadays, Tang Ruowang, the "top firearms expert" in the Qing Dynasty, knows that Western science and technology, as a "part-time side job", often gets him more attention from the top than his own "full-time business" preaching. So, John Tang began to explain in detail to Xiao Xuanye the military level of the current Russians that he had mastered-

"Master, the Rakshasas are ridiculous, their army is not worth mentioning in front of the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty!" Tang Ruowang, who had seen the Manchu Eight Banners enter the Ming Dynasty like a storm in the clouds, seemed to have great respect for the combat effectiveness of the Qing soldiers.

"Really? How so? ”

In Hongyi's fixed thinking, after the sixteenth century, to be precise, it was Ivan. The Russian army after Vasilyevich, the so-called "Ivan the Terror", the first Tsar, and Ivan IV, although it has made great progress, is definitely not first-class in Europe at the same time. But it's a rare opportunity to travel back in time and hear first-hand accounts of European missionaries!

"Much evidence suggests that although the Rakshasas began to learn more or less from the practices of Europa's advanced military powers after 'Ivan the Terror'. In some respects, they have indeed narrowed the gap with our Catholic countries, but they are still very backward! ”

As he spoke, John Tang watched Little Belle's reaction, for fear that he wouldn't understand. But when he talked about the so-called "Ivan the Terrible", that is, the first Ivan IV in Russian history to abandon the title of "Grand Duke" and use the title of "Tsar" instead, Hongyi smiled and nodded, and Father Adam suddenly realized - the master knew everything from God! Sure enough, he was born in this magical land with abundant knowledge! So he didn't explain, but continued:

"For example, many of their regiments were disbanded and returned home after the war, and they were by no means full-time soldiers. When they weren't fighting, they would go to work as carpenters and merchants. Even went to do odd jobs for serf owners. And. The most important thing is that even many of their noble cavalry lack basic training! ”

Seeing that Hongyi was just nodding, John Tang continued to add:

"A Jesuit brother of mine in Rome. This is how they were described in a letter to me about their stupidity and laziness. Allow me to repeat it to you. How is it? ”

"Okay. Please! Hongyi was very interested and readily agreed.

"Huh! He said: 'Many of the noble cavalry that have been recruited are truly ashamed of their performance, and they are in the midst of the enemy. For every enemy you kill, you will pay the price of 3 to 4 of your own people. Look at these miscellaneous cavalry: senile horses, blunt sabers, thin, stunted, poorly dressed, and don't even know how to use their weapons...... Many nobles did not know how to use muskets, so they watched their enemies float by magnificently. Many nobles don't want to kill their enemies, they only think about how to save their lives so that they can go home. ”

"What's more, they pray all day long that God will give them minor injuries that are neither serious enough to endanger their lives, nor minor injuries that are not worth mentioning. After carrying these wounds, they could boast of their exploits, boast of their exploits, and boast about the Tsar's reward or ask for a temporary break from the army to recuperate their wounds, so that they could live their free lives...... My master, you said that it would be very good for such a so-called army to be able to protect itself, and if they were to confront our Eight Banners Iron Cavalry, wouldn't it be an egg hitting a stone? Haha......"

John Tang's excellent memory allowed him to memorize the letters of his fellow brothers fluently, and he spoke of the "bear-like" of Russian soldiers vividly. Hongyi also laughed twice, but did not speak.

"My fellow brother even heard a nobleman say, Oh, allow me to use this indecent word, which he said. This Rakshasa nobleman actually said, 'I don't even pull out my saber on the battlefield because God will take care of everything for me.'" Haha......"

Seeing that John Tang was really smiling happily, Hongyi was a little inexplicable - although this move was stupid, it was also in line with the faith of a thorough believer, who completely believed in their own God. This should not be ridiculous in the eyes of your clergy, right?

Despite his doubts, Hongyi held back this little curiosity. Sure enough, John Tang explained himself:

"Haha, but these stupid Rakshasa nobles, who have really forgotten that God has abandoned them for their disloyalty to the Holy Spirit and disobedience to the Holy See and the Pope, how can they bless their peace? Let them live in this world in agony of endless remorse, like the poor infidel who does not believe in God......"

I see, it seems that the estrangement and resentment between Catholicism and Orthodoxy have reached this point! It is no wonder that the two factions have been divided for thousands of years, and it is not until the 21st century that they have begun to slowly test the path of reconciliation! However, once again hearing the last thing to hear at this moment is the "Holy See" and what "Pope", that is, the so-called "Pope", coupled with the fact that these traditional European missionaries do not know how many wanton exaggerations and slanders are in it, Hongyi decided that the topic should be stopped in moderation.

"Hehe, it's ridiculous. So what are their military systems and weapons? "This is what Hongyi is most interested in!

"Oh, the Rakshasa is actually extremely backward in terms of military systems and weapons." John Tang replied crisply.

"Oh? Ivan the Terrible had reformed his army in a big way, and that was a hundred years ago, right? Hongyi was a little reluctant to believe it.

"Oh, my lord, you are absolutely right, Ivan IV did reform his army. However, it was only by dividing some 100 hectares of land in the vicinity of Moscow of seventy versts to select members of the families of the boyars[1] and princes, as well as some retinues of lower rank, that he had raised a so-called elite cavalry force of 1,000 men by such means! ”

Tang Ruowang was still full of ridicule and disdain for the Rakshasa people, but he wisely did not explain to Xiao Xuanye what "hectares" was.

(Chapter to be continued)

"A limerick poem. Hide your head" [Thanks to the book friend "The saliva number is occupied" friendship axe]

Reading literature and reading history is only a long breath

I was saying that there was an opportunity back then

The layout is a long-cherished wish

It's hard to come and go

Get up and spend a hundred years

Point out the suffering and diseases of the world

The edge of the town was razed to the sea

Wen'an Wuding tears of joy

[1] "boyar" was a title of nobility second only to the Grand Duke in the feudal era of the Bulgarian Empire, the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Kievan Rus', Valecia, and Moldova. In Bulgaria in the 10th-17th centuries, its status was second only to that of the tsar's princes, and now in Russia and Romania there is still this surname. During the reign of Ivan III (1462-1505), two national administrations were established, the court and the government office, on the basis of which a new system of state administration was formed. The form of government in the Russian state during this period was a hierarchical monarchy, with state power shared between the Russian Grand Dukes and the feudal fiefdom nobility. The Grand Duke was the monarch of the Russian state, and he was at the heart of state power, enjoying both full legislative and judicial powers, as well as supreme command of state organs and the army. At the same time, the power of the Grand Duke was limited by the "boyar Duma". The boyar Duma, also known as the Grand Noble Duma, was the organ of power of the feudal aristocracy. The boyar Duma is composed of boyars, Duma nobles and Duma officials. Of these, the boyars were the most influential, and most of them were descendants of the vassals of Muscovy. According to the famous Russian historian Klyuchevsky, the aristocracy thought they were the owners of Russian land. Their ancestors ruled part of Russia alone, while they gathered in the boyar Duma in Moscow to govern the entire country. (To be continued......)